Monday morning: team meeting. A total of 24 sets of eyes look to the head of department, inquisitively, cautiously, defiantly – perhaps even bored. And the boss has to motivate everyone, organize activities, delegate tasks. Tuesday morning: board meeting. The presentation on a new project went well and becoming head of division edges closer. Wednesday, late afternoon: a one-to-one with a co-worker who’s about to lose his job. The boss would like to come to an amicable arrangement. Thursday evening: networking at the local business club. In the spotlight again, only differently – trying to make a good impression. Friday lunchtime: a product presentation to a major lead. It went well, but somehow things didn’t gel. No final decision, or not for now. Introducing the Professional Speaking certification course. It’s designed for training managers to master such interactions professionally.
Managers often find themselves in situations where they have to win people over or present their company to outsiders. It doesn’t matter whether they head up a team, a department, a business division or a whole corporation. Managers are almost expected to have a predisposition to communication and presentations. Yet they should also be excellent at working on their own skills and improving their performance. Easier said than done. Traditional training for managers is based on standalone sessions. But instruction would be much more effective if managers were offered a complete package of professional training. Professional Speaking training is a certification course organized jointly with the SHB. Broken down into a series of 13 modules over a six month period, the course covers all topics relevant to professional oral communication in business. As well as addressing conventional topics like multimedia presentations, use of the voice and body language, it deals with the structure, plot and staging of a presentation, effective use of story telling, the art of improvisation and issues such as authenticity and stage presence. It also specifically teaches speakers how to inspire an audience.
Markus Hofmann
Steinbeis Transfer Institute Professional Speaker GSA (Berlin/München)
The Steinbeis Transfer Institute for Financial Behavior and Ethics signed a scientific cooperation agreement with real estate company DKB Immobilien in June of this year.
Among other topics, initial research projects will focus on the satisfaction of German households over time, the socio-political significance and impact of social charters, and work satisfaction in the context of values held by DKB Immobilien employees. The aim is to facilitate scientific exchange through workshops, presentations and scientific publications. DKB Immobilien is also acting as a sponsor of Finethikon 2011. Finethikon is a convention on financial ethics organized by the Steinbeis Transfer Institute for Financial Behavior and Ethics in collaboration with domestic and international partners. It took place in Eichstätt in October 2011.
Professor Dr. Dr. Sabine Meck
Steinbeis Transfer Institute Financial Behavior and Ethics (Berlin)
su1506@stw.desu1506@stw.de
There’s plenty of lively discussion about the effects of demographic change – but few companies have actually started preparing for the expected impacts of this change. Business will have to gear itself to different work environments and an ageing workforce.
One possibility will be to tap into existing potential – assuming the right tools are available. Targeted at employees and managers with at least 20 years’ experience, the Senior Executive MBA is one such solution. The degree, which dovetails with full-time employment, is offered by the School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE) at the SHB. Its aim is to help firms build on the performance of its experienced employees and thus safeguard their competitiveness. Practical experience is expanded on using the very latest management methods, with live business projects aimed at honing skills and providing the “silver generation” with sustainable answers to new challenges.
In March of this year, the School of Management and Technology at Steinbeis University Berlin (SHB) joined forces with TÜV SÜD to launch a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Offering a major in quality management (QM), the degree is aimed at people in full-time employment. SHB modules in General Management are complemented by QM seminars run by the TÜV SÜD Akademie. For ambitious working people with previous experience, the degree is an ideal stepping stone into the promising field of quality management.
The SHB and the TÜV SÜD Akademie have been working in close cooperation to offer the new training program and provide students in full-time employment with a bachelor of arts degree in combination with a TÜV SÜD certificate in quality management. During their degree, students are equipped with management skills based on future trends. This offers them a solid academic grounding. As well as business administration and economics, the curriculum covers project management, marketing and financial management. There are also advanced courses on quality management. As with all degrees offered by the SHB, hands-on skills are a central theme of the degree in the form of “project competence”: Throughout the entire degree, students work on a live project at the company. Supported by professors and lecturers, students work on innovative concepts to be applied directly to their work in actual projects. On completion of their degree, students are ideally prepared for their career that follows.
Companies also profit from the degree education of their employees. It’s an investment in the HR development of top employees and improves motivation and commitment. The company also gains a reputation in the community by offering the prospect of special training. During the degree, students have the opportunity to ask lecturers and coaches about work-related issues and tap into their expertise. Helmut Holl, who works at Baufritz, is a strong believer in the concept: “Dovetailing studies with work allows firms to keep their workers. Even during the degree they bring back ideas to the business.”
su1323@stw.de
Isabel Lindner
School of Management and Technology Steinbeis University Berlin (Berlin/Filderstadt)
Corporate training for companies is a form of made-to-measure education. The School of Governance, Risk & Compliance (School GRC) at the SHB provides businesses with customized programs in compliance, fraud management, risk management and corporate governance. The corporate programs are tailored to business needs, making them a kind of customized value-added.
It’s in companies’ best interests to provide employees with training in parallel to their work and allow them to gain more qualifications. This improves the long-term likelihood of retaining specialist workers and managers. To do this, firms require strong partnerships and training that is tailored to their needs. The School GRC has been offering such partnerships to companies since 2004. Businesses and their employees can also participate in other programs developed by the School GRC, which offer qualifications such as the Certified Compliance Expert (CCE), the Certified Investigation Expert (CIE) and the Master of Business Administration (MBA). These courses specialize in governance, risk, compliance and fraud management. The training program can also include individual workshops and case studies. The curriculum is agreed with company managers and tailored to the situation within the business, staff experience and their areas of responsibility. Managers appreciate the uniformity of their employees’ acquired specialist knowledge, while students are primarily motivated by business-oriented training in a group – in a pleasant environment in which they gain recognition. .
su1142@stw.de